Harvesting is picking up speed with ideal weather. Soybeans are the primary crop being harvested. A local farmer said that his "beans tested at 56 pounds." What does that mean? It means that if a bushel container was filled with his beans it would weigh 56 pounds. Technically a bushel is to weigh 60 pounds but 56 is in the sweet spot. The current price of beans at the Volga Soybean plant is $12.43 per bushel. So, a farmer receives $12.43 for every 60 pounds delivered to the company.
Testing at 56 pounds also means that the bean crop is very good quality in spite of the prolonged drought. The dry conditions might have caused shriveled beans which would be light weight bringing the test weight to a lower number.
A few farmers have begun harvesting corn. The moisture content in corn kernels at harvest is critical. If corn is delivered for sale with a moisture content above 15.5% the buyer discounts the price to avoid buying moisture and encountering storage problems. One rule of thumb for the safe storage of corn so it will not spoil in the bin is as follows: 15% to store until June 1, 14% to store until the next harvest, and 13% to safely store for a year.
When corn is harvested with a higher moisture content than these figures farmers dry it before putting it in a bin. Farmers have their own dryers which use propane and electricity for drying. Drying can cause some drop in the quality of corn and adds to the cost of storage. Corn will dry naturally on the stalk but waiting too long runs the risk encountering inclement weather.
Well perhaps you knew all this but somewhere there may be a city reader to whom it's news.😀
Takk for alt,
Al
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